A user equipment may be in an active mode or in an idle mode. The active mode of the user equipment may correspond to active data transferring between the user equipment and a base station. The idle mode of the user equipment may correspond to passive and/or inactive data transferring between the user equipment and the base station.
For example, when the user equipment is in the idle mode and in need of a Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS), the user equipment will latch on to, or in other words, connect to and/or communicate with, a cell that provides MBMS services. When a user equipment is in the idle mode and is receiving the MBMS service, the user equipment may enter into an active mode at any time thereby causing a load on the cell as the data transfer rate and/or bit rate may be relatively high owing to the nature of applications being handled in the user equipment. In a Long Term Evolution (LTE) cell supporting carrier aggregation, there may be multiple bands, each band with multiple carriers, to facilitate uplink and downlink of data between the user equipment and the base station. Among the bands supported by an LTE cell, there may be selective bands that accommodate MBMS service in a cell. Hence, when in idle mode, the user equipment may try to connect onto the selective bands and/or band and/or a particular cell that supports such a band that has MBMS capability. When a large number of mobile communication devices, such as user equipment, latch on to a cell in an idle mode, there is a high probability that they may enter the connected mode in the same cell. When the user equipment above a limit tries to connect to the selective bands with MBMS capability, congestion may occur. In the scenario when the MBMS transmissions are scheduled in only one band or cell, the idle mode UEs that may receive MBMS service may camp onto the cell or frequency that supports MBMS services.
The above information is presented as background information only to assist with an understanding of the present disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above might be applicable as prior art with regard to the present disclosure.